Northeast US Taking Steps as Mosquito-Borne Diseases Turn Deadly
Heading into the Labor Day weekend when many people will be outside, health officials in several states are warning residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites. That's after two people in separate states reportedly died from two different mosquito-borne illnesses, West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, also known as EEE or "Triple E."
Areas of the northeastern U.S. including Massachusetts, New York, and New Hampshire, are taking steps to decrease the likelihood residents will be bitten by infected mosquitoes. Work vehicles can be seen driving up and down streets near Boston spraying thick plumes of insecticide. At the same time, planes spray from the air in rural areas that are unreachable by roads. Some communities are closing public parks from sundown to sunrise when mosquitoes are out in full force.
Forty-one-year-old Steven Perry from Hampstead, New Hampshire died after contracting EEE. His family said he was healthy and had no underlying conditions. He was hospitalized due to severe central nervous system disease and died within a week. The last reported case of EEE in that state was 10 years ago.
Meanwhile, the Illinois Department of Health is reporting the death of a Lake County person in their eighties who died from West Nile. Director Sameer Vohra, M.D. said the death is "a stark reminder that West Nile virus poses a serious risk, especially to older people and those with weakened immune systems."
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the 83-year-old former government infectious disease director, is now recovering at home after being hospitalized this month for West Nile after reportedly being bitten by an infected mosquito in the backyard of his suburban Washington, D.C. home.
The CDC currently reports cases of West Nile in 33 states. While many people who are bitten by infected mosquitoes have no symptoms, they can include fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, and fatigue.
Experts say since mosquitoes breed in standing water, it's important to turn over things like children's swimming pools, buckets, empty flower pots, or spare tires. Some discourage the use of bird baths or possibly add cooking oil to a bird bath which can discourage mosquito breeding. It's also a good idea to consider filling in holes or ditches with dirt.
Protect yourself from bites by covering up as much as possible. That means wearing pants, long sleeves, socks and close-toed shoes, a scarf around the neck, and a hat. Consider applying insect repellant.
Experts say this year's warm, wet summer set the stage for an increased mosquito population, which will likely persist until the first frost. And while deaths from mosquito-borne illnesses in the U.S. remain rare, that's not the case in other nations. In fact, the World Health Organization reports more than 600,000 people currently die each year from the mosquito-borne disease Malaria worldwide, making it a leading cause of preventable death, and the mosquito the deadliest animal on the planet.
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